Thursday newspaper round-up: Pensions, Fitbit, Glaxo, Logica

Labour has vowed to protect pensioner benefits, free bus passes and the winter fuel payment until 2025 in an attempt to dent the overwhelming support for the Conservative party among older voters. The £3bn-a-year commitment comes just one week after Philip Hammond, the chancellor, hinted that the pensions triple lock — under which pensions rise by the highest of inflation, earnings or 2.5 per cent — could be abandoned after 2020. – Financial Times

Fitbit is in advanced talks to acquire Pebble, the smartwatch pioneer and darling of crowdfunding site Kickstarter, according to several people close to the negotiations. The deal, which is in its closing stages but has not been completed, would bring intellectual property and new expertise in wearable devices to Fitbit at a time when the fitness-tracker maker is looking to expand its product range. – Financial Times

GlaxoSmithKline has had one of its most promising new asthma drugs recommended for use on the NHS in England and Wales after agreeing to cut the price of the treatment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has said mepolizumab, sold under the brand name Nucala, should be available to patients through the NHS who suffer from a severe type of asthma. – Telegraph

Aformer business analyst at Logica and a man who was his neighbour have pleaded guilty to three counts of insider dealing during the IT consultancy’s £1.7bn takeover by rival CGI four years ago. Manjeet Mohal, who the City watchdog said had been a “trusted member” of Logica’s management reporting team, came by inside information in May 2012 when the IT firm was locked in deal talks with CGI. – Telegraph

A deal to keep Nissan making cars in the north-east will not add to the government’s liabilities, according to Philip Hammond, who said any costs would be kept within current spending limits. The chancellor said promises made to the Japanese firm avoided weighing down the Treasury with significant extra subsidies in the wake of the Brexit vote. – Guardian

The first 75-metre-long blades destined for windfarms off the UK’s coast will roll out of a factory in Hull when it officially opens on Thursday. The inauguration of the Siemens plant at the city’s Alexandra Dock employs 700 people and was hailed by campaigners as an example of how curbing carbon emissions could create jobs. – Guardian

Barclays has been accused of providing “seriously incomplete” disclosure over its involvement in the Libor scandal after a court was told the bank had found 35,000 new documents, including hundreds of audio recordings and thousands of emails, not seen by the authorities before its 2012 settlement. A lawyer acting for Asif Aziz, a London property investor and owner of the Trocadero shopping centre, told a case management hearing over a claim by the Malawian-born businessman that Barclays mis-sold his companies two Libor-linked interest swaps worth £54.8 million. – The Times